Dedicated October 12, 1911, St. Aloysius has the largest seating capacity of any Catholic church in Spokane, with the capacity to seat 1,100. Designed by the architectural firm of Preusse & Zittle of Spokane, it is a replacement for a smaller wood framed church. The interior features copious amounts of oak woodwork and Italian marble. Unfortunately, in 1971, a deranged individual, high on LSD,
destroyed much of the marble statuary and fixtures, as well as killing a caretaker.
The stations of the cross lining the interior walls were made by the Mayers’ Studio of Germany, who were also responsible for the magnificent stained glass in the church. Also in the church is a beautiful pipe organ with 37 ranks of keys. Originally built by Kilgen in 1938 as Opus 3756, it was rebuilt in 1968 as
Opus 3 by Don P. Gorman.
Outside, the red brick church is notable for its twin, tall bell towers and spires, one of which holds a large bell named Catherina. Embellished with myriad pieces of terra cotta trim, it is a beautiful building to behold, with a Romanesque pediment over the main entrance, supported by no less than 6 Corinthian columns. Above is a parapet which joins the two towers, punctuated by 6 Roman arched recesses, each with a terra cotta hood and keystone. The terra cotta cornice is decorated with six pointed, square finials, each with an ogee modillion below. Arched corbelling down the sides of the nave frame raised brick crosses.
Following is the excerpt from
Washington: A guide to the Evergreen State.
ST. ALOYSIUS CHURCH, designed in the nineties by the firm of Preusse and Zittel, architects, adjoins the administration building on the west. The colonnaded portico, Corinthian columns, and the rose windows in the east and west transepts harmonize with the richly Romanesque style of architecture. The spires on the two corner turrets are 180 feet high and are surmounted by 9-foot crosses, electrically illuminated when special services are held at night.
From Washington: A guide to the Evergreen State